30 Copy Editors Tell Us Their Pet Peeves

More than 500 copy editors (over 500 copy editors? does it really matter?) attended this year’s American Copy Editors Society (ACES) conference, which took place in Pittsburgh from March 26–March 28. (Yes, a conference for copy editors actually exists, and yes, it’s really, really fun, in case you were wondering.)

We thought this presented a great opportunity to find out what really grinds the gears of some self-professed word nerds. The conclusion? Opinions as split as infinitives and a lot of support for the singular “they.”

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We asked a room full of copy editors and copyediting aficionados, “What’s your grammar or word pet peeve?” Here are their responses: